PublishedAssouline, December 2016 |
ISBN9781614285120 |
FormatHardcover, 300 pages |
Dimensions33cm × 25cm |
'My dream is to adorn the necks of all women around the world with pearls.' Kokichi Mikimoto 'Nothing gives the luxury of pearls. Keep them in mind.' Diana Vreeland Richly encrusted with myth and legend and radiant with intrigue and romance, the pearl necklace is a universal icon like no other that has threaded its way not only through the history of jewelry but the evolution of fashion as well.
Renaissance queens, maharajas, Hollywood starlets, and modern influence have all made the pearl necklace part of their wardrobes, each wearing it after their own fancy. A symbol of feminine purity, a sign of status and power, an emblem of tradition, a quintessential heirloom, an opportunity for reinvention, the pearl necklace has adapted, chameleon-like, across centuries to become an expression of changing ideals of womanhood and of a woman's place in the world. The most authoritative volume on the subject to date, 'The Pearl Necklace' explores the legacy of these lustrous strands through fine art and fashion, with an introductory essay by award-winning journalist and jewelry historian Vivienne Becker that reminds us why the pearl necklace has long been the ultimate object of fascination and fantasy. AUTHOR: Jewelry historian Vivienne Becker is an award-winning journalist and author of several books on the history of jewelry design. Based in London, Becker is a contributing editor to Financial Times's How to Spend It magazine, writes for newspapers and magazines around the world, and lectures and broadcasts on her subject. She organized and wrote the catalog for the fi major exhibition of the jewelry of Rene Lalique, and curated Jewels of Fantasy, a travelling exhibition of twentieth-century costume jewelry. Becker's previous books for Assouline include 'De Beers Jewellery' (2011), 'The Impossible Collection of Jewelry' (2012), 'Sevan Bicakci' (2014), and 'Cartier Panthere' (2015). 200 illustrations
